WEBVTT SOLEDAD: 30 MILLION AMERICANS TUNED IN LAST WEEKEND TO WATCH THE ROYAL WEDDING OF PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE. THE BREAKOUT STAR OF THE CEREMONY WAS EPISCOPAL PRESIDING BISHOP MICHAEL CURRY. >> IMAGINE THIS WORLD WHEN LOVE IS THE WAY, WHEN LOVE IS THE WAY, UNSELFISH, SACRIFICIAL. WHEN LOVE IS THE WAY, THEN NO CHILD WILL GO TO BED HUNGRY. SOLEDAD: NOW THE BISHOP IS IN WASHINGTON, D.C. ON A NEW MISSION. HE’S TRYING TO HEAL THE EXTREME POLITICAL PARTISANSHIP THAT HE SAYS IS THREATENING THE SOUL OF THE NATION. HE IS JOINING CHURCH ELDERS FROM DIFFERENT AND NOMINATIONS AS PART OF A NEW MOVEMENT CALLED "RECLAIMING JESUS." IT IS SO NICE TO HAVE YOU WITH US. WE ARE GOING TO GET TO THE RECLAIMING JESUS MOVEMENT, BUT FIRST, I WANT TO ASK ABOUT THE ROYAL WEDDING. WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK HAVE YOU BEEN GETTING ON YOUR SERMON? IT LASTED 14 MINUTES. SOME PEOPLE COMPLAINED THAT THAT WAS A LITTLE LONG. BISHOP CURRY: FOLK WERE GRACIOUS, REALLY. BY AND LARGE, PEOPLE WERE JUST KIND. I WAS A PARISH PRIEST FOR A LONG TIME, AND I USED TO GET QUICK RATINGS FROM CONGREGATIONS. IT WAS IMMEDIATE USUALLY IN THE CONGREGATION. YOU COULD TELL IF THEY WERE ASLEEP, IT WASN’T GOING ANYWHERE. SOLEDAD: WE LOVED IT. THE LETTER YOU WROTE, WE ARE DEEPLY CONCERNED FOR THE SOUL OF OUR NATION, BUT ALSO FOR CHURCHES AND THE INTEGRITY OF OUR FAITH -- THE PRESENT CRISIS CALLS US TO GO DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, HE PER INTO OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER, ESPECIALLY ACROSS RACIAL, ETHNIC, AND NATIONAL LINES -- WHAT ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT RIGHT NOW? BISHOP CURRY: I’M CONCERNED THAT WE ARE PROFOUNDLY DIVIDED AND DIVIDING AT SOME VERY DEEP LEVELS THAT MUST FIND A WAY TO BE HEALED SO THAT WE CAN BE IN DIALOGUE AND IN VIGOROUS, FALSE AND DEBATE WITH EACH OTHER ABOUT THINGS WE DISAGREE ON, BUT A WAY TO DISAGREE WITHOUT BEING DISAGREEABLE. THE WAY TO DO THAT -- THIS IS ME -- THE WAY TO DO THAT IS, I’VE GOT TO BE COMMITTED TO LOVING YOU NO MATTER WHAT, EVEN WHEN I DISAGREE WITH YOU. I CAN DISAGREE WITH YOU AND HAVE MY PERSPECTIVE, BUT COMMITTED TO ENGAGING WITH YOU FIRST AS A CHILD OF GOD. SOLEDAD: YOU WRITE IN THIS LETTER ABOUT THE THINGS YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT. YOU DON’T MENTION DONALD TRUMP HAS ISSUED -- AS THE ISSUE, BUT PEOPLE COULD ARGUE THAT THE DIVISIVENESS AND DISCORD AND THE TENOR THAT HAS BEEN PART OF THE DIALOGUE HAS COME FROM THE WHITE HOUSE OR IS CERTAINLY PART OF THE CONVERSATION. WHY NOT MENTION THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES? BISHOP CURRY: WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ARE THE VALUES. WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS, AND WHAT ARE THE VALUES? TO SOME EXTENT, IT IS PROBABLY TOO EASY TO POINT AT DONALD TRUMP. THE ELECTION, REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU STAND, THE ELECTION OPENED UP AND EXPOSED DEEP DIVISIONS THAT HAVE BEEN THERE A -- THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIFFERENCES AND DIVISIONS. THOSE DIVISIONS ARE GETTING DEEPER AND DEEPER AND DEEPER IN OU CULTURE. A DEMOCRACY REQUIRES RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PEOPLE SO WE CAN ENGAGE IN A PUBLIC DEBATE . WE REALLY SEE A DANGER TO OUR VERY DEMOCRACY IN THE DIVISIONS THAT ARE DIVIDING US PROFOUNDLY. A HOUSE TO FIGHT ITSELF CANNOT STAND. I DIDN’T SAY THAT. ABE LINCOLN DIDN’T SAY THAT. JESUS SAID THAT FIRST. SOLEDAD: HOW OPTIMISTIC ARE YOU THAT THIS CAN BE WILDLY SUCCESSFUL, THAT YOU ARE JUST NOT GOING TO REACH SOME CHRISTIANS IN SOME CHURCHES, BUT YOU CAN REALLY MOVE THE NEEDLE AND CHANGE WHAT HAS BEEN A VERY NEGATIVE AND TROUBLING DISCOURSE THAT IS HAPPENING IN AMERICA RIGHT NOW? BISHOP CURRY: I AM REALISTIC AND PASSIONATELY OPTIMISTIC. I REALLY DO BELIEVE MOST PEOPLE ARE DISSATISFIED WITH THE WAY WE ARE. I THINK THAT IS PROBABLY TRUE. THAT IS PURE INSTINCT. G I THINK THIS KIND OF APPROACH CAN HELP US FIND THE WAY. SOMETIMES, WE JUST NEED TOOLS TO HELP US TO DO IT. MEMBER DR. KING ONCE SAID, WE WILL LEARN TO LIVE TOGETHER AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS, OR WE WILL PERISH TOGETHER AS FOOLS. THE CHOICE IS OURS, CHAOS OR COMMUTING. IT’S THAT CLEAR. I THINK MOST PEOPLE WANT TO FIND A WAY TO LIV

Bishop Curry: The Soul of the Nation is at Stake

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Updated: 8:30 AM CDT May 26, 2018

Christian church leaders held a candlelit vigil in front of the White House this week, saying that political leaders need to “live out the way of love.” They reject what they call a rise in white nationalism, sexual harassment, disparaging treatment of immigrants and neglect of the poor. Their new movement is called “Reclaiming Jesus” and is bringing together church elders from a multitude of denominations, including presiding Bishop Michael Curry, who made waves last weekend for his passionate speech on love at the royal wedding. Soledad O’Brien sits down with Bishop Curry to talk about his concern for the soul of the nation and why he says our deepening divisions are destroying democracy.